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Director Chen took the lead in extinguishing the cigarette, and everyone else quickly followed suit. The crowd couldn't help but feel anxious for Zhang Qiu; he was being quite disrespectful to Director Chen. Even if he had done something good, this was the county chief, and once offended, it would be easy for him to make things difficult for anyone.
The atmosphere was somewhat cold as the five public officials exchanged glances before finally looking toward Director Chen. With a calm expression, Director Chen turned to Zhang Qiu and said, "I have heard of your name, Zhang Qiu."
"Director Chen, I have long admired your reputation," Zhang Qiu replied.
"Oh, really?" Director Chen seemed surprised by Zhang Qiu's response and smiled, "I've heard about the bar situation; you all did well. The county committee's Yan Ji is also very pleased with your performance. The existence of organized crime cannot be tolerated, and your contributions to protect the students are commendable and should be emulated by every business in the county."
After Director Chen finished speaking, several accompanying personnel nodded in agreement. Director Chen smiled as he introduced a few people to Zhang Qiu; they were all leaders from the county committee. Finally, his gaze landed on Rui Rui, and he asked, "And who is this?"
Rui Rui nodded and smiled, "I am the floor manager of Daylight Fire Bar."
"Indeed, Beilan County is full of talents—young men and women of great promise," Director Chen praised Rui Rui, who naturally appreciated the compliment, especially the repeated phrase about talented individuals. The accompanying personnel were puzzled; it seemed unusual for Director Chen to be so extravagant in his praise for Zhang Qiu. People like Zhang Qiu could be described as business owners in a flattering light or as organized crime in a less flattering one.
Zhang Qiu and Director Chen exchanged pleasantries on the surface. However, Zhang Qiu felt an invisible pressure from Director Chen, who appeared to be chatting casually but was actually probing for information. Changing the subject, Zhang Qiu asked, "Director Chen, there’s something I’ve been very interested in discussing with you."
"Please," came the unexpected invitation that left the accompanying personnel astonished. Usually, it was others who addressed Director Chen with such formality; aside from visits from superiors, when had Director Chen ever invited someone to speak? He was the second-in-command of Beilan County Town.
Unaware of what others were thinking, Zhang Qiu focused solely on his own agenda and continued directly: "Director Chen, since you took charge of the demolition work, Beilan County has undergone tremendous changes—old appearances have been replaced with new ones. There are more parks, taller buildings, and wider streets. Yet people's hearts seem to have grown colder."
Director Chen was initially pleased to hear Zhang Qiu recount his achievements but suddenly felt his expression darken when Zhang Qiu shifted his tone. The accompanying personnel noticed Director Chen's displeasure and exchanged worried glances at Zhang Qiu but dared not speak up for fear of offending their leader on such a sensitive issue as demolition.
Seeing Director Chen's gloomy expression made Zhang Qiu even happier; it would have been more frightening if he had remained smiling. Zhang Qiu continued boldly: "Director Chen, may I continue?"
"You!"
Director Chen's tone was heavy, and everyone couldn't help but sweat for Zhang Qiu. Zhang Qiu continued as if nothing had happened, "There is a Director Zhao at the Relocation Office. This person has a bad reputation among the public, and I think it is necessary to mention this to Director Chen. We wouldn't want the county head's reputation to be affected because of someone else's mistakes."
"Mm." Chen Guobin merely nodded; he understood Zhang Qiu's meaning all too well. The first time he heard the name Zhang Qiu was in relation to the relocation issue. As for Director Zhao from the Relocation Office, Chen Guobin knew him well; he was one of his capable subordinates who had achieved remarkable results in the relocation work. No matter how difficult the problem was, he could handle it well. Of course, sometimes his methods were a bit hasty, but that was for the development of Beilan County.
"What does Director Chen plan to do about him?" Zhang Qiu pressed again.
"Zhang Qiu, how can you speak to the county head like that?" Someone seized the opportunity to criticize Zhang Qiu.
Zhang Qiu ignored the others and focused solely on Chen Guobin. Chen Guobin said, "I will have my subordinates verify your claims. If it is confirmed that he has acted inappropriately during the relocation work, he will be warned and punished immediately."
"That is not inappropriate; it is illegal."
Zhang Qiu shot back immediately, surprising even Rui Rui beside her. What was wrong with Zhang Qiu? The county head was sitting right there; how could she say such things? Rui Rui tugged at Zhang Qiu's sleeve, and Zhang Qiu turned to smile at her. The smile reassured Rui Rui, and from Zhang Qiu's eyes, she sensed calmness. Could it be that Zhang Qiu had some purpose? With this question in mind, Rui Rui carefully observed Director Chen's reaction.
"For some time now, there have indeed been some negative phenomena due to the heavy workload and numerous tasks in the relocation work. I am also willing to change this," Director Chen said as he turned to the side. "Minister Wang, please handle this matter today."
"Director Chen, I will take care of it immediately; this is my work oversight."
Director Chen nodded slightly and then looked at Zhang Qiu, his meaning clear.
Zhang Qiu got the result she wanted. Only by dealing with Director Zhao from the Relocation Office could all those involved in hurting her father be punished. Zhang Qiu smiled and said, "Director Chen handles issues with the demeanor of someone who can achieve great things."
Director Chen chuckled lightly, his gaze remaining fixed on Zhang Qiu. He had heard about her style of doing things; he actually preferred her somewhat tough attitude. If Zhang Qiu were overly cautious and respectful everywhere, there would be nothing to discuss today. Doing a good deed alone would not be enough for Chen Guobin to take time out of his busy schedule to invite Zhang Qiu. What Chen Guobin valued was Zhang Qiu's connection to a journalist named Liu Fangfei. More precisely, it was Liu Journalist's father who worked in Province.
In D City News, Liu Fangfei's byline had confirmed that she had maintained contact with Zhang Qiu. Chen Guobin couldn't help but speculate whether there were any shadows of Province leaders behind that report. Based on Zhang Qiu's various performances, Chen Guobin couldn't yet draw an accurate conclusion. However, since Zhang Qiu had made a request, it was clear that things were significant.
In the eyes of Chen Guobin, someone like Zhang Qiu was merely lucky. It was often easier to appease than to punish, and there was no need to clash one's own jade with a stone.
The meal ended hastily without much being touched; the people who accompanied Director Chen hardly picked up their chopsticks. Even though they had dealt with the provincial leaders multiple times, none had been as inscrutable as today.
After the meal, Director Chen stood up and said, "Zhang Qiu, I have invited some journalist friends today. Your bar's heroic deeds will be widely reported in Beilan County. Not only that, but we will also present you with a Banner."
"Is there a cash prize?"
Zhang Qiu's question momentarily stunned Chen Guobin, but Zhang Qiu quickly added with a smile, "Just kidding."
Chen Guobin did not react much; reporters were already waiting in another room. Following Chen Guobin's arrangements, Zhang Qiu and Rui Rui posed with a Banner recognizing their bravery. Smiling public officials stood beside Zhang Qiu and Rui Rui. After the photos were taken, the driver took Zhang Qiu and Rui Rui back to White Day Fire.
Shortly after the driver left, a delivery person came in with a meal. Rui Rui looked at the delivery person and asked, "Whose is this?"
Before the delivery person could answer, Zhang Qiu took it and said, "Mine, mine."
At noon at Beilan Grand Hotel, Zhang Qiu had been too busy talking to eat much at all, and his stomach was already growling. Rui Rui looked at Zhang Qiu in surprise and asked, "Are you still eating?"
"Of course! I hardly touched my food at noon; I'm starving. Look at you, you seemed to enjoy your meal quite a bit. Are you satisfied?"
"Very satisfied," Rui Rui replied as she sat down in front of Zhang Qiu. "But it's not my fault; you all kept chatting and no one paid attention to me. I couldn't eat!"
"Of course you can eat! It's all taxpayers' hard-earned money; wasting it would be a shame. The more you eat, the better."
The next morning, news about Daylight Fire Bar helping students began to circulate publicly. All media outlets in Beilan County published photos of Director Chen and Zhang Qiu together.
Upon seeing the report, Rui Rui immediately recalled that when she first received the invitation, Zhang Qiu had gone to Beilan County to set up the coverage. At this moment, it came true, and Rui Rui, surprised, grabbed Zhang Qiu and asked, "Did you anticipate all of this?"
"Of course. Don't forget to buy a few copies of the newspaper and post them in a prominent place in the bar so that people can see them at a glance. Also, display it on the screen at the entrance."
"Okay, I'll go buy them right now."
Rui Rui turned and ran to buy newspapers, while Zhang Qiu smiled as she watched Rui Rui's back. The local report from Beilan County was the best protection; as long as Director Chen was still in office there, peace would be ensured. No one would be foolish enough to undermine a positive example established by the county head.
After some time of interaction, Zhang Qiu had come to understand some of the leaders' temperaments. She wouldn't be foolish enough to confront them recklessly like before; with more experience, she realized that sometimes strategy was more important. Take this report for instance: if Director Chen wanted to turn a bad situation into a good one, then she would help him do just that. Similarly, the bar would be safeguarded. In addition, it also helped resolve the thorny issue with Director Zhao from the Relocation Office. Aside from the unfortunate Director Zhao, this could be considered a win-win situation.
Zhang Qiu looked at the large stack of newspapers Rui Rui brought back and smiled, "That's quite an achievement."
"Of course," Rui Rui said as she handed a stack of newspapers to Zhang Qiu with a grin. "I bought all the ones related to our report from nearby stores; there's another stack on the table downstairs."
"Great! From now on, when guests come in, we’ll place a copy on the table. If anyone wants an autograph, we can give them one."
"You think we're celebrities or something? Haha."
"After being reported in the newspaper like this, aren't we celebrities now? It's pretty good—free advertising. I was worried about our recent customer flow, but now it's all set. I guarantee tonight's White Day Fire will be packed!"
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